“Crash And Burn” – Artie Lange

Artie Lange (@artiequitter) has the comedy career most funny people can only dream of: In his twenties, he became the king of stand-up clubs and sketch TV, making money like he had never before dreamed he’d ever earn. And that money

Crash And Burn

“My drug and alcohol problem gradually got worse, ” recollects Lange about his time on the hit comedy television program Mad TV. “Weed and booze turned into cocaine. A lot of cocaine. I had a bad cocaine problem and I took that out to Los Angeles.”But the addictions took a toll on him.

“I tried to commit suicide because I ran out of coke one night,” remembers Lange. “I thought that was a low point.”

Lange’s career had its ups and downs; He did sitcoms and movies. He also had some times were the work was scarce. But his arrival to the Howard Stern Show brought a new career height: Comedy club gigs gave way to engagements at Carnegie Hall. But also came the new depths of addiction. For the next five years, he chased heroin.

“I’d love to go back and time and wrestle that guy to the ground, just not to do that,” says Lange during his Steppin’ Out interview.

Artie Lange

“Crash and Burn” details how his fairy-tale career took a dive and how he bottomed out. He left the Stern show and and attempted rehabilitation. But he never finished. He ran out of heroin on January 2, 2010.

Follow Us On Twitter

Most Popular

Be Inspired

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.
Henry Ford

Video of the Day

Jason Amaral is a 30-year-old addict living in the Boston area who is determined to get clean. Jason allowed CBS News cameras to follow him as he tries to get his life back on track. DeMarco Morgan reports in part one of a "CBS Evening News" series "In the Shadow of Death: Jason's Journey."